I am thinking of remortgaging my house in Soham, does my lawyer have to be on the Barclays Solicitor panel?

In theory, you could use a solicitor that is not on the Barclays conveyancing panel, but Barclays would require one of their panel solicitors to be instructed to act in their interests, and you'd have to pay for this - so most people instruct a panel solicitor. It's also easier, as otherwise you'd have to deal with two solicitors for the same transaction.

We are due to move house in August. Will my conveyancing solicitor call the removal company on the day of completion. As an aside, can you put forward a removal company in Soham. Conveyancing lawyer was chosen prior to coming across your site.

On the afternoon of completion you can pick up the keys from the property agent however this should only occur once the sellers conveyancers advise the agent that they have the completion monies and the keys can be handed over. You can inform the removal men that you are ready to move in. As a matter of policy we do not recommend a particular removal organisation but can assist you in finding a residential property solicitor in Soham or a solicitor that specialises in conveyancing in Soham.

Can I be sure that the Soham conveyancing solicitor on the Nationwide panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Soham getting recommendations is a good start. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always suggest that you speak with the lawyer conducting your transaction.

I currently have a mortgage with Santander for my property in Soham. Conveyancing was finalised months ago. In the event that I decide to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Santander?

Your original mortgage agreement with Santander will provide that you need their approval before renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Santander’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Santander directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Santander conveyancing panel firm.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my property are lost. The lawyers who handled the conveyancing in Soham 10 years ago no longer exist. What do I do?

Gone are the days when you need to hold title original deeds to establish that you are the owner of your registered land or premises, as the Land Registry hold details of all registered land or property electronically.

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £195,000 and identified one near me in Soham I like with open areas and railway links in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 52 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Soham suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a lease with such few years left?

If you need a mortgage the shortness of the lease will be problematic. Discount the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you can ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor about this.

I've recently bought a leasehold house in Soham. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before my ownership?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I invested in buying a ground floor flat in Soham, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Similar flats in Soham with a long lease are worth £190,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 levied per year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2084

You have 61 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £19,000 and £22,000 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.